The 2015 Notre Dame Cougars are built for the present and the future.
“We actually have a pretty good group of returnees and new guys this year,” defensive coach Ian Rattan said this week as the Cougars prepared for their Central Alberta High School Football League season-opener Friday at 7:30 p.m. versus the Hunting Hill Lightning at Great Chief Park.
“We have a solid group of Grade 10 kids who have moved up from our bantam program and a solid group of Grade 11s. It’s looking like a nice mixture of experience and new guys, which is great to see.”
Among the new faces are defensive/offensive lineman Derek Friesen and cornerback Aidan Joly, both of whom suited up with the midget Prairie Fire earlier this year.
“Derek got some serious reps (with the Prairie Fire),” said Rattan. “Aidan is a little nicked up right now so we have yet to see what impact he’ll have with our team here, but he did play with the midget program which is a pretty good indicator of his ability.”
Rattan also has high expectations for Grade 10 linebackers Josh Chandler and Beau Meier.
“If we can continue to develop them they should be good players for us,” said the coach.
Among the club’s key returnees is Grade 11 running back Johannes Smith, who rushed for a league-high 884 yards on 151 carries last season and scored seven touchdowns.
Rattan noted that Smith brings more to the team than just his ability to shed tackles for big yardage. His enthusiasm for the game is second to none, said the coach.
“The nice thing about Johannes is he runs a thousand miles per hour regardless of where you are on the field, regardless of what the score is or who is blocking,” said Rattan. “He always has a smile on his face and is very easy to coach. It’s a treat to have guys like that, for sure.”
Receiver Payton LaGrange, Reiss Flunder, who will fill a position on defence, and running back/receiver Justin Fedun are other principal returnees, as are quarterback Devin Desormeau, last year’s back-up to graduate Keegan McDonald, and two-way lineman Jacob Plamondon.
“It’s kind of a treat having some of these guys now,” said Rattan. “I’ve worked with the bantam program a lot for the last five years and just to see some of these guys that I had as Grade 8s and 9s and getting to work with them as Grade 10s, 11s and 12s, is kind of cool.”
Desormeau will start behind centre in Friday’s season-opener.
“He’s the guy to beat out, for sure, he’s looking good,” said Rattan, adding that the coaching staff is in the process of deciding on a back-up quarterback.
Rattan wouldn’t predict what the Cougars might accomplish this season, but he sees a team that should progress with the season.
“We’re a little dinged up right now, but it’s a good-looking group of kids,” he said. “We have some good athletes and we have a team that should get better each and every day.
“If we can keep improving in practice and get better from every game going forward, I think we could have a team that will just grow as the season goes on. That’s what any team wants — just to get better every day.”